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Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City
The “gripping and meticulously researched” (The Times, London) true story of the determined museum curators who saved the priceless treasures of China’s Forbidden City in the years leading up to World War II and beyond.
Spring 1933: The silent courtyards and palaces of Peking’s Forbidden City, for centuries the home of Chinese emperors, are tense with fear and expectation. Japan’s aircrafts drone overhead, its troops and tanks are only hours away. All-out war between China and Japan is coming, and the curators of the Forbidden City are faced with an impossible how will they protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge? A difficult and monumental decision is to safeguard the treasures, they will need to be evacuated.
The magnificent collections contain a million pieces of art—objects that carry China’s deepest and most ancient memories. Among them are irreplaceable exquisite paintings on silk, rare Ming porcelain, and the extraordinary Stone Drums of Qin, which are adorned with 2,500-year-old inscriptions of cultural significance.
For sixteen years, under the quiet leadership of museum director Ma Heng, the curators would go on to transport the imperial art collections thousands of miles across China—up rivers of white water, across mountain ranges, and through burning cities. In their search for safety the curators and their fragile, invaluable cargo journeyed through the maelstrom of violence, chaos, and starvation that was China’s Second World War.
Told for the first time in English and playing out across a vast historical canvas, this “compelling story of art, war, and adventure” (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The 1613-1918) follows the small group of men and women who, when faced with war’s onslaught on civilization, chose to resist.
Spring 1933: The silent courtyards and palaces of Peking’s Forbidden City, for centuries the home of Chinese emperors, are tense with fear and expectation. Japan’s aircrafts drone overhead, its troops and tanks are only hours away. All-out war between China and Japan is coming, and the curators of the Forbidden City are faced with an impossible how will they protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge? A difficult and monumental decision is to safeguard the treasures, they will need to be evacuated.
The magnificent collections contain a million pieces of art—objects that carry China’s deepest and most ancient memories. Among them are irreplaceable exquisite paintings on silk, rare Ming porcelain, and the extraordinary Stone Drums of Qin, which are adorned with 2,500-year-old inscriptions of cultural significance.
For sixteen years, under the quiet leadership of museum director Ma Heng, the curators would go on to transport the imperial art collections thousands of miles across China—up rivers of white water, across mountain ranges, and through burning cities. In their search for safety the curators and their fragile, invaluable cargo journeyed through the maelstrom of violence, chaos, and starvation that was China’s Second World War.
Told for the first time in English and playing out across a vast historical canvas, this “compelling story of art, war, and adventure” (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The 1613-1918) follows the small group of men and women who, when faced with war’s onslaught on civilization, chose to resist.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2023
72 people are currently reading
2759 people want to read
About the author
Adam Brookes
6 books174 followersAdam Brookes was born in Canada, but grew up in the UK, in a village in Oxfordshire. In the 1980s, he studied Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and went on to become a journalist, working briefly in magazines before landing a post as a 'copytaster' at the BBC, a job now extinct. Adam became a radio producer at the BBC World Service, and then a foreign correspondent, based first in Indonesia, then China and the United States, where he now lives. Along the way he has reported from some thirty countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and Mongolia, for BBC television and radio. His latest book is 'Fragile Cargo: The Wartime Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City', a narrtive non-fiction account of the astonishing jouner taken by China's imperial art collections during the Second World War. 'Fragile Cargo' is out in the UK, and will be published in the USA in Fenrurary 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
December 23, 2023
I'll admit it - I've picked up this book because of the cover. The shadow of a person in a fedora hat immediately made me think of Indiana Jones and if I ever whished for anything it was an Indiana Jones movie where the pursued artifact was of Chinese origin. So I borrowed this book hoping for an epic story and I am happy to report that it is exactly what I found.
The title tells you all - it is a story about an immense Imperial Collection of art and how dedicated group of curators evacuated precious pieces from Forbidden City and kept moving them away from the battlelines of Sino-Japanese war that later turned into World War II. You will find here everything you wish for - great descriptions of Chinese political landscape and the country's journey from imperialism to republic, the conflict with Japan, the reality of the war and living in the bombarded cities, meditation about art as a vessel for the spirit of the nation and how commitment and sense of duty saved artifacts from the oldest civilization. Author decided to touch all those topics and paint them in rather broad strokes, never going into details, and its an advantage of this book and disadvantage at the same time. Because I wanted more especially when it come to the Imperial Collection itself. Author decided to focus only on few precious pieces (paintings Early Snow on the River and Herd of Deer in Autumn Forest, Stone Drums of Qin, red monk's cap ewer) and through them describe the paths they traveled. I understand why it was done that way but I still feel that my hunger for the descriptions of treasures was not satiated. Although it's a great start for the further research.
To sum it up - it's a great book, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
The title tells you all - it is a story about an immense Imperial Collection of art and how dedicated group of curators evacuated precious pieces from Forbidden City and kept moving them away from the battlelines of Sino-Japanese war that later turned into World War II. You will find here everything you wish for - great descriptions of Chinese political landscape and the country's journey from imperialism to republic, the conflict with Japan, the reality of the war and living in the bombarded cities, meditation about art as a vessel for the spirit of the nation and how commitment and sense of duty saved artifacts from the oldest civilization. Author decided to touch all those topics and paint them in rather broad strokes, never going into details, and its an advantage of this book and disadvantage at the same time. Because I wanted more especially when it come to the Imperial Collection itself. Author decided to focus only on few precious pieces (paintings Early Snow on the River and Herd of Deer in Autumn Forest, Stone Drums of Qin, red monk's cap ewer) and through them describe the paths they traveled. I understand why it was done that way but I still feel that my hunger for the descriptions of treasures was not satiated. Although it's a great start for the further research.
To sum it up - it's a great book, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
November 27, 2023
I've said a few weird things in book reviews this year that I never thought I'd say. Let's add one more. I just read this book which is basically about a Chinese art road trip during World War II and I loved it. Adam Brookes' Fragile Cargo tells the story of the curators who kept the art and precious artifacts kept in China's Forbidden City from being taken and destroyed by the rampaging Japanese right before and during World War II. Oh, and then there is the communists, too.
I know what many people may think. How can this possibly be interesting? There is a version of this book which could be very dry and boring. Luckily, Adam Brookes finds a way to make the story read like a novel with rich, colorful characters and a pacing which never lets up. Brookes clearly has a love of the art and the people in his book, but he never lets anything get in the way of telling the most interesting story possible. This is an especially good book for anyone unfamiliar with China during this time period. Brookes provides excellent context for the culture and major events that the characters need to contend with. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.
I know what many people may think. How can this possibly be interesting? There is a version of this book which could be very dry and boring. Luckily, Adam Brookes finds a way to make the story read like a novel with rich, colorful characters and a pacing which never lets up. Brookes clearly has a love of the art and the people in his book, but he never lets anything get in the way of telling the most interesting story possible. This is an especially good book for anyone unfamiliar with China during this time period. Brookes provides excellent context for the culture and major events that the characters need to contend with. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.
May 11, 2023
Although WWII is the back drop of this true story, the real story is about China and it's culture and the art that came from it for centuries.
When one thinks of WWII we seem to forget that the war in Asia began before that on the European continent. In the early 1930's Japan decided it wanted China as it own and began a campaign to subjugate and terrorize it's population. As the assault began the curators of the Forbidden Palace, and all it's irreplicable treasure, began to formulate plans to hide their historical paintings, jade and the thousands of other items kept over the centuries.
...in the years to come, the imperial collections of China-these hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable objects-will undergo a series of strange, transformative journeys through time and space. They will travel thousands of miles by steamship and bamboo raft, by train and truck, and the the backs of straining, sweating porters, across mountain ranges, up rolling rivers, through burning cities.
The story cannot be compared to that of The Monument Men in Europe. The large scale collection and the size of China make the European salvage of art look meager. The scholars and dedicated Chinese men (and their families) tell the tale of determination and absolute dedication to saving and keeping safe the inheritance of past dynasties . Theses artifacts travelled across the continent for more than 16 years (encompassing the initial invasion of China, WWII and then the civil war between the Chinese Republic and the Mao's Communism).
A fascinating, engrossing piece of history that will keep you captivated to the very end. As I said, ignore the mention of WWII and you have a story that will entrance even those of you who have "closed the book" on that section of history
When one thinks of WWII we seem to forget that the war in Asia began before that on the European continent. In the early 1930's Japan decided it wanted China as it own and began a campaign to subjugate and terrorize it's population. As the assault began the curators of the Forbidden Palace, and all it's irreplicable treasure, began to formulate plans to hide their historical paintings, jade and the thousands of other items kept over the centuries.
...in the years to come, the imperial collections of China-these hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable objects-will undergo a series of strange, transformative journeys through time and space. They will travel thousands of miles by steamship and bamboo raft, by train and truck, and the the backs of straining, sweating porters, across mountain ranges, up rolling rivers, through burning cities.
The story cannot be compared to that of The Monument Men in Europe. The large scale collection and the size of China make the European salvage of art look meager. The scholars and dedicated Chinese men (and their families) tell the tale of determination and absolute dedication to saving and keeping safe the inheritance of past dynasties . Theses artifacts travelled across the continent for more than 16 years (encompassing the initial invasion of China, WWII and then the civil war between the Chinese Republic and the Mao's Communism).
A fascinating, engrossing piece of history that will keep you captivated to the very end. As I said, ignore the mention of WWII and you have a story that will entrance even those of you who have "closed the book" on that section of history
February 14, 2023
Wow. I believe now that a TARDIS can exist, since I've just read a book that is much bigger on the inside than it's size would indicate.
This is the story of protecting a national art collection during turbulent times in China, but the book goes well beyond dry facts and figures about the transportation of the artwork over many miles in search of a safe haven. We learn about the artists and the times they lived in. We learn about the treasures of the Forbidden City and the people who gave their all to catalog and protect a staggering number of art objects.
This meticulously researched book puts us right there in the Forbidden City, shivering alongside the catalogers, risking frostbite and struggling with pots of frozen ink while pushing forward with their herculean task. This job took its toll on many people, sometimes in heartbreaking ways.
And those travels - Indiana Jones could only dream of such adventures! The mishap with the stone drum... well, I will not spoil that in advance. You need to gasp with surprise just as I did.
This book needs to be shelved in the libraries of as many universities and museums as possible, and soon. History is fascinating, when the stories are told by a passionate, learned storyteller. Adam Brookes is one of those, and he has my thanks for an outstanding experience.
My thanks to author Adam Brookes, Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
This is the story of protecting a national art collection during turbulent times in China, but the book goes well beyond dry facts and figures about the transportation of the artwork over many miles in search of a safe haven. We learn about the artists and the times they lived in. We learn about the treasures of the Forbidden City and the people who gave their all to catalog and protect a staggering number of art objects.
This meticulously researched book puts us right there in the Forbidden City, shivering alongside the catalogers, risking frostbite and struggling with pots of frozen ink while pushing forward with their herculean task. This job took its toll on many people, sometimes in heartbreaking ways.
And those travels - Indiana Jones could only dream of such adventures! The mishap with the stone drum... well, I will not spoil that in advance. You need to gasp with surprise just as I did.
This book needs to be shelved in the libraries of as many universities and museums as possible, and soon. History is fascinating, when the stories are told by a passionate, learned storyteller. Adam Brookes is one of those, and he has my thanks for an outstanding experience.
My thanks to author Adam Brookes, Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
October 31, 2022
If you are interested in the history of China in the 20th century or Chinese art, or both, you cannot pass up this book. In a very enjoyable narrative style and evidently very meticulously researched, this book tells the story of the wanderings of the Chinese national art collection from The Forbidden City, during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War. Besides, amusing anecdotes the author provides insight into the political history of the time in which the story takes place. The narrative style is very reminiscent of Simon Winchester. Even the reading of the audiobook by the author himself is evocative of Winchester. The book ties in well with National Treasures: Saving The Nation's Art in World War II and is a fantastic addition to The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom. I am half way through now, but trying to slow down, so that the pleasure of reading will take longer.
May 11, 2023
Dense read. A little slow, but pulls you in about 1/4 way through.
March 17, 2024
The story of Dynastic China's imperial treasures from their selection and identification during the last days of the Qing Dynasty to the collection's reconstruction in the diverse collections of both Taiwan and China. Sources include the diaries of individuals directly involved in their selection, packing, transportation and warehousing during China's tumultuous decades during World War II, who tell first-hand how these imperial treasures came to be separated into the various collections we know today. Many are housed in the museum collections of Beijing and Taiwan, but others were stolen, lost or destroyed and only emerge when a piece comes to light, usually but not always in an auction. (For the exciting story of the discovery of one such piece in a provincial American auction, see auctioneer Robert Bronk's delightful A Question of Value in which he relates the discovery of a yellow pear-shaped ceramic 'pot' in a rural American auction originally valued at a few hundred dollars that was eventually correctly identified and sold by Sotheby's for millions.) Other sources include newspaper accounts, exhibition information, catalogues, and collectors' records. For those who know only partial bits of the story, it's a way of piecing the many stories together, but it also raises the question of the validity of the location of some of these treasures today--a discussion many museums are now having to resolve.
April 6, 2023
In 1924 betraden inventarisatieteams de sombere koude zalen van de Verboden Stad om de keizerlijke collecties te tellen, identificeren en catalogiseren.
Wanneer een klein decennia later de Japanners het land aanvallen, is het plots alle hens aan dek: de eeuwenoude kunstcollecties moeten zo snel mogelijk veilig gesteld worden!
We volgen Ma Heng en andere curatoren op hun reizen ter land, ter zee en in de lucht. En passant maak je ook de geboorte van China mee zoals we het land nu kennen.
Zeer compleet boek, waardoor je China, de huidige communistische partij en de perikelen met Taiwan weer iets beter begrijpt.
Aanrader voor allen die geïnteresseerd zijn in Chinese kunst en Chinese geschiedenis!
Wanneer een klein decennia later de Japanners het land aanvallen, is het plots alle hens aan dek: de eeuwenoude kunstcollecties moeten zo snel mogelijk veilig gesteld worden!
We volgen Ma Heng en andere curatoren op hun reizen ter land, ter zee en in de lucht. En passant maak je ook de geboorte van China mee zoals we het land nu kennen.
Zeer compleet boek, waardoor je China, de huidige communistische partij en de perikelen met Taiwan weer iets beter begrijpt.
Aanrader voor allen die geïnteresseerd zijn in Chinese kunst en Chinese geschiedenis!
December 3, 2022
I received this book at part of a Goodreads giveaway, and gave it to my father, who loves non-fiction and WWII. He finished it less than a week and called “very interesting” which translates to 5⭐️ and highly recommended to anyone!
May 11, 2023
Fascinating history, the writing was a bit silly and forced a narrative. Kinda felt like a bunch of note cards got linked up into a book. But I really appreciated getting to know a bit more of Chinese history.
February 11, 2025
Fragile Cargo is the story of evacuating the art and treasures of the Forbidden City as the Japanese advanced through China during the Second World War. Art, and the contents of museums, libraries and galleries tends not to be the focus when discussing military history; the loss of life and destruction of cities always comes first. But these are markers of a country's history and its culture, and are irreplaceable.
Author Adam Brookes keeps the narrative tight by focusing mainly on a handful of individuals. He also doesn't immediately drop us into the Second World War. We instead learn about China becoming a republic, and how the Forbidden City became a museum - and the absolutely massive inventory task that came along with that, working through over a million items - in the pre-war years.
But as the Japanese moved closer to Beijing, the decision was made to evacuate the museum's art and treasures. Thousands of cases were packed up, awaiting shipment. But these, of course, aren't just items you can throw in a box and hope for the best. The task of simply boxing everything up was its own undertaking before anything even happened. The crates began shipping out in 1933. Some wouldn't make it back to Beijing until 1950. Others would never come back.
Brookes weaves us through the war at quite a brisk pace. I don't mean that in the sense that the story is rushed, but rather that there's a great fluidity and ease to his writing. The book is very easy to read; you can work through large chunks of it quite quickly. Part of this is also the nature of the story itself: the crates of art were constantly on the move, trying to stay ahead of the Japanese. When museum staff thought they would be safe somewhere, they'd once again have to be relocated.
That's the one major takeaway from this account: this was a massive undertaking. You first have to pack the art up properly; it can't jostle or move around, and water can't get into the crates. Then, how do you move all these crates? Sometimes by train, sometimes by boat, sometimes by truck - but it's always dangerous. And the crates were divided, sent on three separate routes; you need to keep track of what's where. Finding appropriate storage facilities was also very difficult, as the conditions had to be perfect to ensure no water damage, molding, termite damage; they had to be guarded to keep thieves away.
And once the Second World War is over, China is plunged into civil war. Many cases of the Forbidden City's treasures were taken to Taiwan to be kept safe from the communists, where these pieces still remain today. And as said, other cases didn't make their way back to Beijing until 1950 - 17 years after they were first sent away.
I thought Fragile Cargo was incredibly interesting. It covers a topic I had never stopped to think about before. It's an enlightening read, but also a very easy read. To see how the museum curators fared throughout all of this (the few that Brookes chose to focus on) was another great detail to the story. I kind of chose this book on a whim as I didn't have anything else lined up - and what a very pleasant surprise it was.
Author Adam Brookes keeps the narrative tight by focusing mainly on a handful of individuals. He also doesn't immediately drop us into the Second World War. We instead learn about China becoming a republic, and how the Forbidden City became a museum - and the absolutely massive inventory task that came along with that, working through over a million items - in the pre-war years.
But as the Japanese moved closer to Beijing, the decision was made to evacuate the museum's art and treasures. Thousands of cases were packed up, awaiting shipment. But these, of course, aren't just items you can throw in a box and hope for the best. The task of simply boxing everything up was its own undertaking before anything even happened. The crates began shipping out in 1933. Some wouldn't make it back to Beijing until 1950. Others would never come back.
Brookes weaves us through the war at quite a brisk pace. I don't mean that in the sense that the story is rushed, but rather that there's a great fluidity and ease to his writing. The book is very easy to read; you can work through large chunks of it quite quickly. Part of this is also the nature of the story itself: the crates of art were constantly on the move, trying to stay ahead of the Japanese. When museum staff thought they would be safe somewhere, they'd once again have to be relocated.
That's the one major takeaway from this account: this was a massive undertaking. You first have to pack the art up properly; it can't jostle or move around, and water can't get into the crates. Then, how do you move all these crates? Sometimes by train, sometimes by boat, sometimes by truck - but it's always dangerous. And the crates were divided, sent on three separate routes; you need to keep track of what's where. Finding appropriate storage facilities was also very difficult, as the conditions had to be perfect to ensure no water damage, molding, termite damage; they had to be guarded to keep thieves away.
And once the Second World War is over, China is plunged into civil war. Many cases of the Forbidden City's treasures were taken to Taiwan to be kept safe from the communists, where these pieces still remain today. And as said, other cases didn't make their way back to Beijing until 1950 - 17 years after they were first sent away.
I thought Fragile Cargo was incredibly interesting. It covers a topic I had never stopped to think about before. It's an enlightening read, but also a very easy read. To see how the museum curators fared throughout all of this (the few that Brookes chose to focus on) was another great detail to the story. I kind of chose this book on a whim as I didn't have anything else lined up - and what a very pleasant surprise it was.
April 12, 2023
Great book! It went into amazing detail about how museum curators saved beautiful art and literature pieces during times of war -- which was practically all the time during the 1st half of the 20th century in China. The work the museum curators undertook was so fraught with danger and stress that the book almost read like a thriller!
Now I really want to go back to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan -- the place where most of the museum pieces ended up -- and look at all the art work one more time, while reveling in the adventures the art went through!
One thing is for sure: This book graphically detailed the horrors of war and through such description, gave a clear argument for why leaders should doing everything possible to avoid war in the first place!
二零二三年： 第八本书
Now I really want to go back to the National Palace Museum in Taiwan -- the place where most of the museum pieces ended up -- and look at all the art work one more time, while reveling in the adventures the art went through!
One thing is for sure: This book graphically detailed the horrors of war and through such description, gave a clear argument for why leaders should doing everything possible to avoid war in the first place!
二零二三年： 第八本书
January 21, 2023
Fascinating story. I'm sure you know what MADE IN CHINA means today. But this story is NOT about today's MADE IN CHINA. It is about hundreds of years of treasures that the Forbidden City has stored and preserved.
Japan enters the picture in the early 1900s and decided to take over parts of if not all of China. Well, it started getting brutal. Japan was beginning to take over parts of China and now the treasures in Forbidden City were in danger. A few scholars were brought in to move them somewhere else. How do you do this? It wasn't easy and that's where the story begins. Last but not least - you'll get to know about China much better in this story than in many of the textbooks.
Japan enters the picture in the early 1900s and decided to take over parts of if not all of China. Well, it started getting brutal. Japan was beginning to take over parts of China and now the treasures in Forbidden City were in danger. A few scholars were brought in to move them somewhere else. How do you do this? It wasn't easy and that's where the story begins. Last but not least - you'll get to know about China much better in this story than in many of the textbooks.
July 16, 2024
A very good read . This more than a transport story . Readers can tell that this book is fruit of extensive research and interviews.
It tells of the commitment and hazardous journeys to save priceless ancient art and porcelain collections from invaders, looters, mould and war. The context is the chaotic days of 1930s and 1940s when China was torn apart by revolution, corruption and the highly merciless Japanese invasion .
Journeys aside , we read about beauty of Chinese art is told through poetry, fond descriptions of the paintings and the finesse of how the porcelain pieces are made . We read of the geography of China especially the lay of the land along the Yangtze River.
It tells of history of the struggles and massacres from the years of the Qing dynasty, the foreign colonial powers - English , French , German and then invading Japan.
Internal turmoil caused by like Boxer Rebellion and the Korean War.
Also fascinating to read of restaurants (in Chengdu) with names likes “Don’t Come If You Are Busy”.
Art stored in caves and Buddhist temples . Slow river ferry - propelled by men with long bamboo poles pushing the heavily laden craft against strong river currents. This is a book about the treasures of an ancient civilization, one that have seen so much turmoil, famines, war and yet such depth of beauty.
It tells of the commitment and hazardous journeys to save priceless ancient art and porcelain collections from invaders, looters, mould and war. The context is the chaotic days of 1930s and 1940s when China was torn apart by revolution, corruption and the highly merciless Japanese invasion .
Journeys aside , we read about beauty of Chinese art is told through poetry, fond descriptions of the paintings and the finesse of how the porcelain pieces are made . We read of the geography of China especially the lay of the land along the Yangtze River.
It tells of history of the struggles and massacres from the years of the Qing dynasty, the foreign colonial powers - English , French , German and then invading Japan.
Internal turmoil caused by like Boxer Rebellion and the Korean War.
Also fascinating to read of restaurants (in Chengdu) with names likes “Don’t Come If You Are Busy”.
Art stored in caves and Buddhist temples . Slow river ferry - propelled by men with long bamboo poles pushing the heavily laden craft against strong river currents. This is a book about the treasures of an ancient civilization, one that have seen so much turmoil, famines, war and yet such depth of beauty.
February 21, 2023
I’ve read all of Brookes’ spy thrillers and love his writing so when I saw this ARC on NetGalley I requested it. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy. Thank you.
Fragile Cargo is the story of the art of the Forbidden City and the efforts to protect them during China’s war with Japan in the early 20th Century and then again through WWII and Mao’s Revolution.
I loved that Brookes used three works of art to chronicle the incredible efforts of the Cultural Palace curators to keep these relics safe. We were always updated as to where they were in the, literally, thousands of cases that wandered the country in search of safety.
The packing, the rudimentary transport, the endless worry about bombings, assaults, looting, and last but not least, the weather. We also get to know the people who spent their entire careers protecting these artifacts.
Incredible story. Wonderful writing. Anyone interested in Chinese history or its art should enjoy this very well researched book.
Fragile Cargo is the story of the art of the Forbidden City and the efforts to protect them during China’s war with Japan in the early 20th Century and then again through WWII and Mao’s Revolution.
I loved that Brookes used three works of art to chronicle the incredible efforts of the Cultural Palace curators to keep these relics safe. We were always updated as to where they were in the, literally, thousands of cases that wandered the country in search of safety.
The packing, the rudimentary transport, the endless worry about bombings, assaults, looting, and last but not least, the weather. We also get to know the people who spent their entire careers protecting these artifacts.
Incredible story. Wonderful writing. Anyone interested in Chinese history or its art should enjoy this very well researched book.
March 15, 2023
An amazingly dense book about Chinese Art, Art History, the History of China, and so much more.
Journalist author Adam Brookes focuses on China between 1900 and 1950, most especially it's conflicts with Japan, the National Repulican army under Chiang Kai-Shek, and the Peoples Liberation Army under Mao Zedong.
You'll learn about the race to pack up the 19,000 crates of art and artifacts that represent the best of Chinese art and culture and the efforts to protect the art by hiding it and moving it, from destruction or theft by Japan and Chinese entities.
A little heavy on details, you'll find this one fascinating. Read it chapter-by-chapter if you want it to flow.
Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review.
Journalist author Adam Brookes focuses on China between 1900 and 1950, most especially it's conflicts with Japan, the National Repulican army under Chiang Kai-Shek, and the Peoples Liberation Army under Mao Zedong.
You'll learn about the race to pack up the 19,000 crates of art and artifacts that represent the best of Chinese art and culture and the efforts to protect the art by hiding it and moving it, from destruction or theft by Japan and Chinese entities.
A little heavy on details, you'll find this one fascinating. Read it chapter-by-chapter if you want it to flow.
Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review.
April 27, 2023
Enjoyable read (in my case listen) about the safeguarding by evacuation of the treasures of the imperial collection in advance of the Japanese onslaught in the 1930s. The heroes were occasionally swashbuckling but mostly just exceptionally diligent and crafty in packing and transporting priceless art and artifacts out of the range of the bombers, occasionally just in the nick of time. His take on the Chinese civil war may have some debatable points in the mind of a serious scholar of the same, but I am not one so I’ll let that be.
November 20, 2022
I won an ARC of this book and was surprised by how little I remembered of this time period from my history classes. This book easily reads like a story. I felt myself growing attached to these real historical figures and cheering for them as they fought to conserve the Chinese antiquities and their culture. Their journey across China was an epic task and it was fun to follow particular pieces of art on their different paths to safety. Thanks to these honorable men perhaps I will have the chance to view one of these pieces someday.
January 28, 2023
I enjoyed reading about this topic and found it to be well written. This was a subject I knew nothing about and really enjoyed learning so much about it. The curators were well described and I was invested in them and their trial. The mentions of the pieces of art led to me looking them up to viewing them. Knowing from reading this book that these amazing people and their feats led to the fact I can see these pieces made me appreciate them even more.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
March 27, 2023
A tale of wonder, heroism and perseverance as several Chinese curators worked to protect the priceless imperial works of art found in the Forbidden City from damage and theft during the Sino-Japanese conflicts, WWII aggressions and finally the rise of communism! Really would love to see some of these items (many dating from 400 BC and beyond) in person!
April 12, 2023
The most incredible true story ever told. What a feat! It beggars belief that for 17 years this collection was taken all over China through war and revolution. I can now begin to understand why China wants to bring Taiwan back into its authority. And it is narrated by the author with such feeling and respect for the people involved. One of the most affecting books I have ever experienced.
January 7, 2023
A great story about the transport and protection of a million pieces of Forbidden City art from the the ravages of World War II in China. It's well written and provides a decent introduction to the impact of the Japanese invasion on China.
December 31, 2022
A heartbreaking & poignant tale of a group of unsung heroes - fervently dedicated to their perceived duties to preserve China's ancient imperial heritage ...
February 26, 2023
Tremendous story of bravery and sacrifice by the curators of ancient Chinese artifacts, during times of 20th Century wars.
April 17, 2023
Fascinating subject, again in an area of the world I know so little of.
Non-fiction is often very dry
Non-fiction is often very dry
April 11, 2023
Really interesting read. It's always sad how the history of China is always relatively unknown to the global audience. Many simply overlook the history of the region or give little credence to it. Countlessly going through Chinese history it always staggers me at the sheer amount of people who have called the region home. Billions and hundreds of millions of people. With so many different cultures, languages and ethnic groups divided by different dynasties, eras and periods. Simply imagining it all gives you a sense of how rich the shared cultures and histories are.
With regards to this book specifically, I always find myself going back to the quote: "If we are not careful of these Westerners we may have to travel to Britain to learn more about our own heritage." And after completing the book, ironically this is the feeling I'm left with. The author did a good job going through what I imagine to be mountains of historical data, articles, reports and personal documents to detail this story about Chinese artefacts. However, at the end of the day it still leaves you with a likeness in which entities like the British Museum exist.
The book does a good job of giving you a glimpse into all of the dramatic changes the Chinese region has gone through over the past 200 years. Providing a lot of context into how it has affected the region, its people, those in power and how China has been regarded by different countries in different eras. All while still telling the story of Ma Heng, and following his life's work and contribution. Really impressive.
I especially liked how the author spoke to issues about how it is sad how utterly massive events which have happened in history remain to be unknown to the global international audience. As well as very tragic and important harrowing stories/events. For example, the raping of Nanjing is altogether unknown to many outside of China, unless someone has pursued university/college studies in history. Like the author said in the book, it really leaves you asking a lot of moral questions about how history is kept, written, passed on and ranked in terms of importance and how it relates to others.
A really fascinating book. In my opinion the author did not have much bias in terms of detailing the story and history. Although at one point I did feel weird when he spent one and two sentences describing the death toll of the Nanjing massacre but spent over a page or two on the white American lady who ended up committing suicide later in life from seeing what she saw in Nanjing. Which kind of lends itself to contradicting the previous point I made of moral questions history poses to how we relate to it.
But all in all, this is a good book which dives into historical detail about salvaging and saving ancient Chinese artifacts and history.
This was actually the first non-fiction book I've read for fun in over a decade. I'm always wary when it comes to people penning historical stories and histories that do not actually belong to them. With the constant change the Chinese region has gone through over modern history, and especially with the Iron Wall of the PRC and PLA and communist party, it does appear that it is next to impossible for Chinese citizens to write historical books that point toward any type of criticism of the regime. So work like this does fill a void, but still carries an undertone of Western 'museum-ship" to it.
With regards to this book specifically, I always find myself going back to the quote: "If we are not careful of these Westerners we may have to travel to Britain to learn more about our own heritage." And after completing the book, ironically this is the feeling I'm left with. The author did a good job going through what I imagine to be mountains of historical data, articles, reports and personal documents to detail this story about Chinese artefacts. However, at the end of the day it still leaves you with a likeness in which entities like the British Museum exist.
The book does a good job of giving you a glimpse into all of the dramatic changes the Chinese region has gone through over the past 200 years. Providing a lot of context into how it has affected the region, its people, those in power and how China has been regarded by different countries in different eras. All while still telling the story of Ma Heng, and following his life's work and contribution. Really impressive.
I especially liked how the author spoke to issues about how it is sad how utterly massive events which have happened in history remain to be unknown to the global international audience. As well as very tragic and important harrowing stories/events. For example, the raping of Nanjing is altogether unknown to many outside of China, unless someone has pursued university/college studies in history. Like the author said in the book, it really leaves you asking a lot of moral questions about how history is kept, written, passed on and ranked in terms of importance and how it relates to others.
A really fascinating book. In my opinion the author did not have much bias in terms of detailing the story and history. Although at one point I did feel weird when he spent one and two sentences describing the death toll of the Nanjing massacre but spent over a page or two on the white American lady who ended up committing suicide later in life from seeing what she saw in Nanjing. Which kind of lends itself to contradicting the previous point I made of moral questions history poses to how we relate to it.
But all in all, this is a good book which dives into historical detail about salvaging and saving ancient Chinese artifacts and history.
This was actually the first non-fiction book I've read for fun in over a decade. I'm always wary when it comes to people penning historical stories and histories that do not actually belong to them. With the constant change the Chinese region has gone through over modern history, and especially with the Iron Wall of the PRC and PLA and communist party, it does appear that it is next to impossible for Chinese citizens to write historical books that point toward any type of criticism of the regime. So work like this does fill a void, but still carries an undertone of Western 'museum-ship" to it.
April 4, 2023
Adam Brookes' Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City is a somewhat more hopeful The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War for the treasures of China’s Forbidden City before, during and after world war II. A story of protection from looting, the destruction of total war and the hazards of the natural world. Under the leadership of Ma Heng, director of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, curators were able to pack, ship and care for more than 17,000 cases of objects for almost seventeen years.
Brookes looks at the long history of these collections, beginning with how they were assembled by the Chinese Emperors before they shifted to a museum collection in the 1920s. He also details the processes or craftsmanship necessary to create select works of art. The first task of the museum workers was just to inventory these objects eventually detailing more than a million paintings, sculptures, works of porcelain, books and other rare items.
In the raising of tensions between China and Japan at the beginning of the 1930s, the museum administration made the decision to move the collections out of the path of war. To do so they had to figure out the best ways to package the collections, where to send them, and how to pay for it all. These collections then journey in multiple directions under the care of the dedicated staff, sometimes having to move multiple times. On their travels, the collections dealt with the hazards of weather and climate, topography or depredation by molds or insects.
Brookes describes not only the travels of the collections, but the lives of their main caretakers during the hardship of the war. It does not shy from the cost of war, describing the effects of bombings, unchecked fires, starvation, diseases, occupation and societal collapse.
A harrowing survival story that concerns itself with the long scope of history and myriad challenges to its preservation. Beginning with creation of the works and the Imperial collection through to the ideological challenges of Chinese Communism in the latter half of the 20th century.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Brookes looks at the long history of these collections, beginning with how they were assembled by the Chinese Emperors before they shifted to a museum collection in the 1920s. He also details the processes or craftsmanship necessary to create select works of art. The first task of the museum workers was just to inventory these objects eventually detailing more than a million paintings, sculptures, works of porcelain, books and other rare items.
In the raising of tensions between China and Japan at the beginning of the 1930s, the museum administration made the decision to move the collections out of the path of war. To do so they had to figure out the best ways to package the collections, where to send them, and how to pay for it all. These collections then journey in multiple directions under the care of the dedicated staff, sometimes having to move multiple times. On their travels, the collections dealt with the hazards of weather and climate, topography or depredation by molds or insects.
Brookes describes not only the travels of the collections, but the lives of their main caretakers during the hardship of the war. It does not shy from the cost of war, describing the effects of bombings, unchecked fires, starvation, diseases, occupation and societal collapse.
A harrowing survival story that concerns itself with the long scope of history and myriad challenges to its preservation. Beginning with creation of the works and the Imperial collection through to the ideological challenges of Chinese Communism in the latter half of the 20th century.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
January 9, 2024
A look at the art, literature, and other cultural treasures that were found within the Forbidden City when the empire became a republic. A brief history of how those treasures came to be there and why they were valuable. The book then moves on to introduce the men who cataloged and curated those treasures, and the monumental effort they put in to save them over the years of conflict between China and Japan in the 1930s and 1940s.
This was a fascinating history of a rather small group of museum curators who had a seemingly impossible task of keeping rare pieces safe in a time of war when bombs, thieves, weather, and just the hazards of travel could easily obliterate them. It's astounding that so much of the collection survived to present day and is a testament to some really hard work those curators put in. I can't believe how much some of them traveled around in wartime China! Brookes does an admirable job of summarizing the overall conflicts and political situations going on in each time period in easy to understand text. He's obviously done an incredible amount of research. (Well, at least in the historical area...at one point he said mold was a bacteria...it's a fungi. But that was the only error I spotted.) The blurb on the cover compares this to Monuments Men and it is very similar in topic, just a different area of the world (and less people to keep straight). An excellent read for anyone interested in WWII history, Chinese history, or art history.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: It is mentioned that the Japanese soldiers did horrible things to women in Nanking but it isn't described in any detail.
Violence: Deaths in the war are mentioned, deaths of old age/disease are mentioned, as are suicides and killings during WWII and the Communist takeover, but none are graphically described.
Ethnic Diversity: All the main people are Chinese, from different areas and different education backgrounds, but all born and raised in China.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: Some drinking of alcohol mentioned. Psychological damage of Communist reeducation is mentioned.
This was a fascinating history of a rather small group of museum curators who had a seemingly impossible task of keeping rare pieces safe in a time of war when bombs, thieves, weather, and just the hazards of travel could easily obliterate them. It's astounding that so much of the collection survived to present day and is a testament to some really hard work those curators put in. I can't believe how much some of them traveled around in wartime China! Brookes does an admirable job of summarizing the overall conflicts and political situations going on in each time period in easy to understand text. He's obviously done an incredible amount of research. (Well, at least in the historical area...at one point he said mold was a bacteria...it's a fungi. But that was the only error I spotted.) The blurb on the cover compares this to Monuments Men and it is very similar in topic, just a different area of the world (and less people to keep straight). An excellent read for anyone interested in WWII history, Chinese history, or art history.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: It is mentioned that the Japanese soldiers did horrible things to women in Nanking but it isn't described in any detail.
Violence: Deaths in the war are mentioned, deaths of old age/disease are mentioned, as are suicides and killings during WWII and the Communist takeover, but none are graphically described.
Ethnic Diversity: All the main people are Chinese, from different areas and different education backgrounds, but all born and raised in China.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: Some drinking of alcohol mentioned. Psychological damage of Communist reeducation is mentioned.
January 9, 2025
This books relates the journey of the treasures of the Forbidden City in Peking (Beijing) along three routes, north, south and central away from the civilisation along the coast to avoid the Japanese occupation. This commenced in 1924 with curators/scholars making an inventory of all the antiquities in the Forbidden Palace. The exhibits then became part of the Palace Museum, which was open to the public. It was supported by the new Republican Government as a place for citizens of a young republic to witness and ponder their imperial past - with the emphasis firmly on past. Ma Zheng was a respected academic and an established curator and administrator at the Palace Museum. He is the main character and overall responsibility for moving the treasures when threatened by Japan. Meanwhile, the leader of the KMT Chiang Kai-Shek drove his control into other areas of China. He hated the fact that China had foreign troops in his country - Britain, America and Japan. In 1931 Japan forcibly took control of Manchuria and then never stopped moving across China. In late 1931 or early 1932, Ma Hang made the decision to evacuate the treasures. Most of this book is about this journey, but at the same time the reader is exposed to the Japanese invasion and final defeat and then the civil war between KMT led by Chiang Kai-sheik and the communists led by Mao Zedong. So many millions lost their lives. A really great historical read.
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